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Memphis Grizzlies Draft Profile: 2007

By Ryan Schmitz

Apr 24, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace and guard Mike Conley (11) pose for a photo with the Joe Dumars Trophy for sportsmanship before the game against the San Antonio Spurs in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace and guard Mike Conley (11) pose for a photo with the Joe Dumars Trophy for sportsmanship before the game against the San Antonio Spurs in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) shoots the ball as Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) defends during the second half at the United Center. The Bulls won 104-97. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) shoots the ball as Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) defends during the second half at the United Center. The Bulls won 104-97. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

Roster Overview/Needs

The Memphis Grizzlies had just come off a year where they finished with the worst record in the league. Star player, Pau Gasol, had gotten hurt before the season and missed half the year, which was a factor to the record. They also had a mix of young rookies and aging vets, as they were heading towards a rebuild.

Going into the off-season/draft, the Grizzlies were left with the following roster:

Projected Starter Pau Gasol C 7-0 250
Projected Starter Hakim Warrick PF 6-8 219
Projected Starter Rudy Gay SF 6-7 229
Projected Starter Mike Miller SG 6-8 218
Projected Starter Damon Stoudamire PG 5-10 171
Projected Bench Tarence Kinsey SG 6-6 185
Projected Bench Alexander Johnson PF 6-9 240
Projected Bench Kyle Lowry PG 6-1 196
Projected Bench Stromile Swift C 6-9 225
Projected Bench Brian Cardinal PF 6-9 246

Note: Roster doesn’t factor free agency. This is how the Grizzlies looked at the conclusion of the 2006-07 season.

Going into the draft with just one pick, the team had a lot of holes to fill with limited opportunities. Just looking at the projected roster, the Grizzlies were in need of talent.

The power forward position was a weakness. Alexander Johnson and Brian Cardinal were role players at best, and that’s an optimistic statement. Hakim Warrick was only a rookie the year before, but played pretty well. Despite his potential, Warrick wasn’t a long-term solution at the depleted power forward position.

Three positions were set for the foreseeable future. Rudy Gay, who had an arguably worse rookie season than Warrick, was a lottery pick from the season before. However, Gay’s position in the draft signaled that he get more time to develop. In his rookie season, he did show flashes of becoming a scoring threat in the league. Mike Miller and Pau Gasol were both veterans who were at, or near, the top of their respective positions in the league, so both the shooting guard and center positions were set as well.

Point guard, however, was a different story. The team had veteran Damon Stoudamire in place. Stoudamire was a top point guard at one point of his career, but in 2007, he wasn’t nearly running at the pace he did in his prime. The team also had a first-round pick from the previous year that was used on Kyle Lowry. At that time, he was still in his development, without any expectation of him becoming the player he is today. He only played in ten games his rookie season because of a wrist injury, and thus the team didn’t really have the time to judge.

Going into the draft, the team had a lot of holes to fill, but the biggest one was just the need for talent. The team could go for a power forward to contend with Warrick, a future point guard if Memphis didn’t trust Lowry, or even a replacement for Pau Gasol or Mike Miller if the team wanted to fully rebuild.

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